Fall Movie Review Roundup: Reading, Changeling, Choking

Today, three entertaining movies with a lot going for them that just barely miss the mark... 

BURN AFTER READING (B)

These two are probably not watching Burn After Reading. 

Ah, the Coen Brothers. They're responsible for some of my favorite movies of all time, and I'm talking top 20 here -- Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski. So when they release a movie that is merely enjoyable, like Burn After Reading, it's very likely I come down too hard on it. Had this film been made by anyone else (which is unthinkable, really, their trademarks are all over this), I might have been a bit more fond of it. As such, it's an above average film, a below average Coen film.

About half the performances are terrific, with George Clooney, Richard Jenkins, and John Malkovich the standouts. The other half are goony and too broad -- even Frances McDormand and especially Brad Pitt, who plays his role like he's the wacky neighbor on According to Jim. The story, as is the case with a lot of Coen films, is beside the point, although I'd argue it's a bit too inconsequential here. There comes a point where cool indifference becomes laziness and the audience feels jerked around, not in a good way. There are great moments throughout -- a dildo gag really threw me for a loop -- and the hilarious scenes with David Rasche and J.K. Simmons (whom I still see as Schillinger from Oz, and therefore always think he is moments away from ass-raping someone) rank with the Coens' best. It's fun and wonderfully brief (90 minutes), but it all amounts to a big "eh,", and while it's certainly worth checking out, there's no rush.

CHANGELING (B) 

"Ma'm. We need to talk to you about your hat." 

Pretty awesome true story here - In 1920's Los Angeles, police corruption is running rampant. Woman loses her son, cops don't want to chalk up another loss, so they return a boy who isn't hers. Or is he? Or isn't he? Or do they? Or should they? Or would they? Or could they? Or are you? Or am I?

For the first half of the film, we don't really know what's going on, and director Clint Eastwood really takes his time (too much time, in my humble opinion) taking us into this world and putting us through this ordeal with Angelina Jolie's character (I could look up her character's name, but instead I'll just look at the above photo and refer to her as Penis Head). Then, when it seems like things should be winding down, a whole new movie starts up unexpectedly, and this one packs in all the twists and turns and excitement and suspense and horror the first half lacked. First half - okay, slow, pokey. Second half - super sweet.

John Malkovich is gold (a theme in today's reviews), Jolie is good enough as Penis Head, Amy Ryan nails a small role (how fantastic has she been on The Office, by the way?), relative newcomer Jason Butler Harner steals the show with a frightening performance, and Jeffrey Donovan vomits up the worst Irish accent since Tom Cruise in Far and Away. 

Depressing, frustrating, unsatisfying, and yet...I kinda dug it. 

CHOKE (B-) 

I love movies about deviants (good to see my people represented on the big screen), and I love Sam Rockwell (be sure to check out maybe his all-time best work in this year's little-seen Snow Angels). I also love sex and nudity and stories about dysfunctional families. How could Choke not win me over? I can tell you exactly how: Kelly McDonald. I can't stand this woman, and she is woefully miscast here as the love interest, essentially derailing the film. Good Lord, what a boring actress, a complete void. Everyone else is solid - Clark Gregg, who also directed and adapted Chuck Palahniuk's novel, is strong in a small role, it's good to see Anjelica Huston again, and Bijou Philips (whom I once briefly made out with, although that's a story for another time) is sexy and funny. Had they given her the McDonald role, they would have had themselves a movie.

Choke, but no cigar.

tags: movies  movie reviews  angelina jolie  clint eastwood  john malkovich  burn after reading  george clooney  brad pitt  choke  sam rockwell  

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